Abigail Spanberger | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2023 | |
| 75thGovernor of Virginia | |
| Assumed office January 17, 2026 | |
| Lieutenant | Ghazala Hashmi |
| Preceded by | Glenn Youngkin |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromVirginia's7th district | |
| In office January 3, 2019 – January 3, 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Dave Brat |
| Succeeded by | Eugene Vindman |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Abigail Anne Davis (1979-08-07)August 7, 1979 (age 46) Red Bank, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | |
| Signature |  |
| Website | Official website |
| Espionage activity | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Service branch | Central Intelligence Agency |
| Service years | 2006–2014 |
| Rank | Operations officer |
Abigail Anne Spanberger[1] (/ˈspænbɜːrɡər/SPAN-bur-gər; néeDavis; born August 7, 1979) is an American politician and former intelligence officer serving since 2026 as the 75thgovernor of Virginia. A member of theDemocratic Party, she served from 2019 to 2025 as theU.S. representative forVirginia's 7th congressional district.
Spanberger was born in New Jersey and moved frequently during her childhood before her family settled in Virginia. She earned degrees from theUniversity of Virginia andPurdue University. From 2006 to 2014, she was an officer in theCentral Intelligence Agency. She was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2018, unseating incumbent RepublicanDave Brat. She was reelected in 2020 and 2022 before leaving Congress to run for governor.
Spanberger was elected governor of Virginiain 2025, defeating Republican nomineeWinsome Earle-Sears. She is Virginia's firstfemale governor.
Spanberger was born Abigail Anne Davis[2] inRed Bank, New Jersey, on August 7, 1979,[3] to her father, Martin Davis, a police officer, and her mother, Eileen Davis, a nurse.[4][5][6] She knew from a young age that she wanted to be a spy, writing her diary incode.[4]
Her family moved often when she was young, living inMaine, theNew York City area, andPhiladelphia, before settling inShort Pump, Virginia, when she was 13.[4][7] Her father had moved from policing to federal law enforcement for theUnited States Postal Inspection Service. She graduated fromJohn Randolph Tucker High School and was later apage for U.S. senatorChuck Robb.[7]
Spanberger earned aBachelor of Arts from theUniversity of Virginia in 2001[4] and aMaster of Business Administration from a joint program between theGISMA Business School inGermany andPurdue University'sKrannert School of Management. She initially enrolled at theCollege of William and Mary before transferring to the University of Virginia.[7] According toThe Washington Post, by the time she had completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Virginia, Spanberger was conversationally fluent in English, Spanish, and "five or six more" languages.[4]
In the early 2000s, Spanberger taughtEnglish literature as a substitute teacher at theIslamic Saudi Academy in Northern Virginia.[8] She received a conditional job offer from theCentral Intelligence Agency (CIA) in December 2002.[4] While waiting for a background check to be completed, Spanberger worked as a postal inspector, as her father did, focusing onmoney laundering and narcotics cases.[4][9]
In July 2006, after Spanberger's background check had been completed, she joined the CIA as a case officer, working to find, recruit, and build relationships withforeign nationals who could have had information of value to the U.S. government.[4][10] She has publicly said that she gathered intelligence aboutnuclear proliferation andterrorism.[11] Her first assignment was toBrussels, according toThe Washington Post.[4] During her career, she held, at some point, five differentpassports, and met peopleundercover.[4]
In 2014, Spanberger left the CIA and entered the private sector. She was hired by Royall & Company (now a part ofEAB) to do consulting work for colleges and universities.[4][12] After the2016 presidential election, she began working withEmerge America to encourage women to run for state and congressional offices.[4] In 2017,Virginia governorTerry McAuliffe appointed her to the Virginia Fair Housing Board.[13]
In July 2017, Spanberger announced her candidacy for theUnited States House of Representatives inVirginia's 7th congressional district in the2018 election against incumbentRepublicanDave Brat, aTea Party movement member.[14][15][16] She had begun to consider challenging Brat after attending atown hall meeting he hosted inNottoway County in February 2017 and made the final decision to run in May after the House voted to repeal theAffordable Care Act, texting her husband, "I'm gonna run and I'm gonna f---ing win".[4][9] On June 12, 2018, Spanberger defeated Dan Ward in the Democraticprimary election with 73% of the vote, receiving more votes than any other candidate in the Virginia primaries that day.[17][18]
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In June, after winning the primary, while waiting for a train at theRichmond Staples Mill RoadAmtrak station, Spanberger metWilliam C. Mims, a justice on theSupreme Court of Virginia, who told her he was "impressed with her message".[19]
In August, theCongressional Leadership Fund, a super PAC closely aligned with Republican House SpeakerPaul Ryan, conducted asmear campaign against Spanberger. The campaign, which attempted to tie her to terrorism, was based on anSF-86 application she completed to obtain security clearance, which was released in breach of privacy rules.[20] In a visit to the district, former Trump adviserSteve Bannon called the race "an absolute bellwether of the entire country" and said that losing it would mean Republican loss of control of the House.[21]
Spanberger won the November 6 general election by about 6,800 votes.[22] Brat won eight of the district's ten counties, but Spanberger dominated the two largest counties,Henrico andChesterfield, by a combined margin of over 30,000 votes.[23] Her campaign outraised Brat's, with $5.8 million (equivalent to $7,380,469 in 2024) to his $2.1 million (equivalent to $2,659,782 in 2024).[24] After winning the election, Virginia Supreme Court JusticeMims wrote her a letter extolling the virtues of public service, leadership, and civility, alongside a copy of formerCzech PresidentVáclav Havel's essay "Politics, Morality, and Civility". Spanberger has said the letter and its impact on her leadership were crucial to her development as a politician.[19]
Spanberger was the first Democrat to win this seat since 1970, when four-term DemocratJohn Marsh retired and was succeeded by RepublicanJ. Kenneth Robinson.[25] But until 1993, the 7th stretched from the outer Washington suburbs through theShenandoah Valley andCharlottesville to the outer Richmond suburbs;[26] the present 7th is geographically and demographically the successor to what was the 3rd district before 1993.[27] That district had been in Republican hands since 1981; former House majority leaderEric Cantor represented it from 2001 until Brat ousted him in the 2014 Republican primary.
Spanberger and her colleaguesElissa Slotkin andMikie Sherrill were described as the "mod squad", a moderate alternative to the progressive "squad".[28][29] Spanberger and Sherrill shared aCapitol Hill apartment for four years while they served in Congress together.[4]
Spanberger faced a close reelection contest againstVirginia delegateNick Freitas, who represented much of the congressional district's northern portion. She won with 51% of the vote to Freitas's 49%. Freitas carried eight of the district's ten counties, as Brat had done two years earlier, but Spanberger prevailed by winning the district's shares of Henrico and Chesterfield counties by a combined 43,400 votes, five times her overall margin of 8,400 votes.[30][31] She was also boosted byJoe Biden narrowly carrying the district;[32] Biden was the first Democrat to win what is now the 7th Congressional District since 1948.
On November 5, days after winning reelection by a margin of 1.8%,[33] Spanberger criticized theDemocratic Party's strategy for the 2020 elections in a phone call with other Democratic caucus members that was subsequently leaked.[34] Calling the elections "a failure" from acongressional standpoint, she singled out Republicanattack ads decrying "socialism" and the movement to "defund the police" as prime reasons the Democratic Party lost seats inswing districts. Spanberger argued that Democrats should watch Republican ads before deciding how to talk about issues and never "use the word 'socialist' or 'socialism' ever again".[35]
After the 2020 elections, Spanberger criticized Democratic messaging, arguing that progressive slogans such as "defund the police" and "socialism" had hurt candidates in swing districts and nearly cost her reelection.[citation needed] CNN political editorChris Cillizza described her comments as "some hard truth" for the Democratic Party, adding that for Democrats to succeed in the 2022 and 2024 elections, they should "listen to the likes of Spanberger" rather than push for "the boldest possible progressive legislation".[citation needed]
But Spanberger's remarks were disputed by SpeakerNancy Pelosi, who noted that Democrats had retained control of the House,[citation needed] and by RepresentativeRashida Tlaib, who said the party should "study the results" before dismissing progressives who represent their districts.[citation needed]The Washington Post digital editor James Downie also criticized Spanberger's remarks, arguing that campaign failures were due more to ineffective messaging against Republicans than to progressive policy.[citation needed] He cited RepresentativeAlexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who pointed out that no swing-district Democrat who co-sponsored Medicare for All lost reelection and that "not a single member of Congress that I'm aware of campaigned on socialism or defunding the police in this general election".[citation needed]
For her first two terms, Spanberger represented a district that stretched from the Richmond suburbs to the fringes of the Shenandoah Valley. After the2020 United States redistricting cycle, Spanberger's district was radically redrawn, and no longer included her home in Henrico County. She considered not running for reelection in the new district before deciding to do so.[4] Spanberger was seen as one of the most vulnerable incumbents of the 2022 election cycle, with pre-election polls projecting a close race with RepublicanPrince William Countysupervisor Yesli Vega, a law enforcement officer endorsed by GovernorGlenn Youngkin and former presidentDonald Trump.[36][37] Spanberger defeated Vega, 52% to 48%, the largest margin at the time in any election Spanberger had run in.[38][39]
According toFiveThirtyEight's congressional vote tracker, Spanberger voted with President Trump 8.7% of the time.[40] In the2016 presidential election, Trump won 50% of the vote toHillary Clinton's 44% in Spanberger's futurecongressional district.[41]
On September 23, 2019, Spanberger joined six other freshman House Democrats with national security backgrounds in calling for an impeachment inquiry into Trump. They co-wrote aWashington Post opinion piece explaining their support for an impeachment inquiry, writing: "Congress must determine whether the president was indeed willing to use his power and withhold security assistance funds to persuade a foreign country to assist him in an upcoming election." They wrote that, if the allegations were true, they amounted to a "flagrant disregard for the law" and a "threat to all we have sworn to protect".[42] Spanberger later announced that she would vote in favor of impeachment, saying, "The President's actions violate his oath of office, endanger our national security, and betray the public trust".[43]
On June 1, 2020, Spanberger tweeted criticism of Trump's reaction to theGeorge Floyd protests, a series of protests againstpolice brutality that began inMinneapolis on May 26. On June 2,The Washington Post andThe New York Times quoted Spanberger and several other high-profile former CIA analysts' interpretations of Trump's reaction to the protests as reminiscent of the reaction of totalitarian dictators on the brink of losing control of their dictatorships. "As a former CIA officer, I know this playbook, and I know the president's actions are betraying the very foundation of the rule of law he purports to support, the U.S. Constitution", she said.[44][45][46] Spanberger criticized Trump after police used tear gas and rubber bullets on peaceful protestors and a priest during the George Floyd protests to clear a path so that he could have aphoto op in front of St. John's Episcopal Church.[47][44]
Spanberger opposed Democrats' attempts to amend theInsurrection Act of 1807, saying that amending the rarely used law would not accomplish what Democrats intended.[48]
According toPolitiFact, Spanberger publicly disagreed with some of Biden's immigration policies that have not been subject to congressional votes, but she voted for all 73 bills and resolutions in the House of Representatives that Biden voiced support for.[49] In a November 2021 interview with theNew York Times, Spanberger criticized Biden after the2021 Virginia gubernatorial election, saying, "Nobody elected him to beF.D.R.; they elected him to be normal and stop the chaos."[50] She also said the Democrats had not sufficiently recognized that inflation was problematic.[51]
Spanberger's committee assignments included:[52][53]
In 2020, during a meeting with then-Governor of VirginiaRalph Northam, Northam suggested she should run for governor someday.[4] Spanberger took his advice, and in November 2023 announced that she would not seek reelection to Congress and would instead run for governor of Virginia in the 2025 election.[59] She secured the uncontested nomination in April 2025.[60]
In May 2025, while campaigning, Spanberger said she would not sign a bill to fully repeal Virginia'sright-to-work law if elected governor.[61][62]
Spanberger is the one of the few Virginia gubernatorial candidates to refuse money fromDominion Energy, instead getting donations from theanti-Dominion watchdogClean Virginia alongside her running mates, who defeated Dominion-backed candidates.[63][64] Her priorities on immigration include scrapping Youngkin's immigration order allowing local police to help carry outTrump's ICE raids and deportation policy. She supports rejoining theRegional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, which Youngkin, a Republican, left after Northam had joined it.[65][66]
Spanberger was elected in alandslide, securing 58% of the vote.[67] The Republican nominee, incumbent lieutenant governorWinsome Earle-Sears, received 42%. It was the largest margin of victory for a Democratic gubernatorial candidate in Virginia sinceAlbertis Harrison received just under 64% of the vote in1961.[68] While Democrats won the three statewide races in Virginia in 2025, Spanberger's 15-point margin of victory was the largest.[69] Spanberger outperformedKamala Harris in the2024 presidential election in the state by nearly 10 percentage points, while winning 99% of Harris's voters.[70]
On November 5, Spanberger announced hertransition team, which includes senior members of her campaign staff, as well as past government officials, includingChris Lu,Daun Hester, andYohannes Abraham. Honorary co-chairs of the transition team included manyDemocratic Party of Virginia leaders, includingPresident pro tempore of the Virginia SenateLouise Lucas,state delegate andSpeaker of the Virginia House of DelegatesDon Scott, state delegateCandi Mundon King, former congresswomanJennifer Wexton, and former congressmanRick Boucher.[71]On November 6, Spanberger and her husband Adam met and had lunch with Governor Youngkin and his wife Suzanne to informally begin the transition process.[72] On November 12, Spanberger asked the University of Virginia's board of visitors to pause its search for a new president until she takes office and can appoint members to the board. Youngkin and conservative alumni of the university criticized the move as political interference; conservative board members appointed by Youngkin helped oust former university presidentJim Ryan due to concerns over the university'sDiversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives.[73] Spanberger in turn accused Youngkin of politicizing the boards of Virginia's public universities, and promised structural reform to prevent it.[74]On December 2, Spanberger began rolling out her cabinet appointments by announcing Marvin Figueroa, an experienced healthcare policy professional, as Secretary of Health and Human Resources.[75] She later announcedJessica Looman asSecretary of Labor,Mark Sickles asSecretary of Finance,Sesha Joi Moon as chief diversity officer,Timothy P. Williams asSecretary of Veterans and Defense Affairs,David Bulova asSecretary of Natural and Historic Resources, Candi Mundon King asSecretary of the Commonwealth, Nick Donohue asSecretary of Transportation, Stanley Meador asSecretary of Public Safety, and Katie Frazier asSecretary of Agriculture and Forestry.[76]
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Spanberger was sworn in as governor on January 17, 2026.[77][78][72] She was sworn in by formerSupreme Court of Virginia JusticeWilliam C. Mims, with her husband Adam holding the Bible and her daughters by her side.[78][4]
On January 17, 2026, her first day in office, Spanberger signed ten executive orders focusing primarily on affordability, healthcare, housing, education, and preparedness for potential federal policy changes under the Trump administration.[79][80] Key orders included a statewide affordability directive requiring agencies to identify cost-reduction measures; establishment of task forces on health financing and economic resiliency amid federal cuts; a review of housing regulations and creation of a housing production commission; directives strengthening public education and inclusive practices; a review of university board appointment processes; expanded authority for the chief of staff; a non-discrimination and equal opportunity policy with affirmative recruitment measures; and rescission of former Governor Glenn Youngkin's Executive Order 47 requiring state and local law enforcement cooperation with federal civil immigration enforcement.[81] Democrats praised the orders as delivering on campaign promises to lower costs and protect vulnerable populations, while Republicans criticized several as reversing effective Youngkin-era policies on immigration enforcement and merit-based education, and expressed concerns over the promotion of diversity initiatives and delegation of broad emergency powers.[82]
On January 30, Spanberger described the Virginia Leaders in Export Trade (VALET) program, promotingfree trade in opposition to Trump's tariffs. TheVirginia Port Authority is a major hub ofinternational trade.[83]
On January 19, 2026, Spanberger delivered her first address to a joint session of the Virginia General Assembly, emphasizing affordability, bipartisanship, and pragmatic solutions. She committed to reentering the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), maintaining Virginia's right-to-work law, collaborating with the federal government where possible, and pushing back against policies harming Virginia jobs or families. She outlined legislative priorities including lowering healthcare and energy costs, protecting renters, expanding housing production, supporting agriculture amid tariffs, implementing pro-worker measures such as paid family leave and a higher minimum wage, and bipartisan gun safety bills.[84] Republicans welcomed the calls for unity and right-to-work commitment but proposed alternative tax relief measures and cautioned against increased spending.[85]
In the opening days of the 2026 legislative session, the Democratic-controlled General Assembly advanced a proposed constitutional amendment to enshrine reproductive rights—including abortion, contraception, and fertility treatments—in the Virginia Constitution, passing it on party-line votes for consideration on the November 2026 ballot. Supporters argued it protected essential healthcare access, while opponents raised concerns it could permit late-term abortions, assisthuman traffickers and rendered parental consent laws ineffective.[86][87] Spanberger, who campaigned in support of the amendment, said she would campaign for its passage.[88]
Spanberger positions herself as amoderate Democrat[89] and has called herself a "passionate pragmatist".[90] VirginiaNPR affiliateWCVE-FM called Spanberger's legislative voting record "typical in this highly partisan era" and said she has always voted for Biden's agenda while still being the fifth-most bipartisan House member when it came to cosponsoring legislation and opposing one of Biden'sexecutive orders on immigration.[91] In the2019 speaker of the United States House of Representatives election on the opening day of the116th United States Congress, Spanberger voted for RepresentativeCheri Bustos, an Illinois Democrat, joining 11 other Democrats who did not backNancy Pelosi.[92]
Spanberger supportsabortion rights.[93] She opposed the U.S. Supreme Court's decision inDobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, overturning the right to abortion establishedRoe v. Wade, saying that "it undermines the right to privacy and a woman's right to choose".[94] She opposes legislation to restrict abortion, saying that the government should not "mandate a pregnancy".[95] During her gubernatorial campaign, Spanberger said she would support a constitutional amendment to restore "theRoe standard" and that she supported Virginia's existing laws requiring minors seeking abortions to receive parental consent, and certain limitations on third-trimester abortions.[96]
In February 2023, Spanberger was one of 12 House Democrats who voted in favor of H.J. Res. 7, a Republican-sponsored resolution to terminate the national emergency concerning COVID-19 declared in March 2020.[97][98]
During her 2025 campaign for governor of Virginia, a January 6, 2021, photograph of Spanberger wearing an emergency escape hood inside the Capitol was circulated online by critics, who misrepresented it as COVID-19 protective gear and mocked her.[99][100] The hoods, which protect against smoke and chemical irritants, were distributed to members of Congress by Capitol Police during the attack on the Capitol; the misrepresentation was widely noted and debunked online, with some observers saying that the circulation of the image drew attention to the events of January 6.[101]
In 2023, Spanberger voted againstoverturning theDistrict of Columbia's revision of its criminal code, which reduced the maximum penalties for burglary, carjacking, and robbery.[102][103]
Spanberger opposesdefunding the police,[104] and has supported bills that would increase the ability of local police departments to hire and train more officers.[105]
Although she was not a member of Congress when it passed, Spanberger criticized the 2017Tax Cuts and Jobs Act supported by PresidentDonald Trump, arguing that its permanent tax cuts for corporations would increase the national debt.[93]
Spanberger called for the passage of theUSMCA trade deal negotiated by the Trump administration, Mexico, and Canada.[106][107] Spanberger opposedTrump's tariffs during her 2025 gubernatorial campaign.[108] She has promotedfree trade during her tenure as governor.[83]
In May 2020, Spanberger voted against theHEROES Act, a proposed $3 trillion stimulus package in response to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[48] She said the bill went "far beyond" pandemic relief and had no chance of passing the Republican-controlledSenate.[109] In November 2020, Spanberger led a bipartisan effort to secure the340B Drug Pricing Program against changes that would lead to significant increases in prescription medication costs.[110]
Spanberger supports banning members of Congress from trading stocks. She has introduced legislation that would require lawmakers, as well as their spouses and dependent children, to place assets in ablind trust while in office.[111][112]
In September 2025, Spanberger wrote an opinion article inThe Washington Post opposingDOGE for conductingmass layoffs of federal workers in 2025 which particularly affect Virginia, as many federal workers live there.[113] Spanberger focused her 2025 gubernatorial campaign on affordability and jobs.[108]
Through her "Strengthening Virginia Schools Plan", Spanberger announced she would make higher education more affordable and accessible and make it easier for high school students to take college-level courses.[114] She supports allowing teachers to deliver instruction and manage curriculum without interference from political bodies or agendas.[115] Spanberger has emphasized strengthening public schools by hiring and fairly compensating teachers, rather than supportingprivate schools andschool choice.[115] She also supports allowing schools to teach about Virginia's history of racism, saying, "history is important for us to learn from, for our kids to be proud of the progress we've made."[115]
Spanberger has calledclimate change "one of the greatest and most imminent threats to our economy, our national security, and our way of life" and said she will "stand up to attacks against science."[93] During a 2019 Committee on Foreign Affairs meeting, Spanberger asked the Trump administration to reverse its isolationist policies, saying, "it's in [the US's] national interest to reinforce our stature as a global leader on international environmental and energy issues."[116]
Spanberger called theGreen New Deal proposed byAlexandria Ocasio-Cortez a "bold compilation of ideas meant to address global climate change" but criticized it for allegedly including unrelated policy proposals and not identifying specific resolutions to the problems that it identifies. "Overall I am not a supporter of the Green New Deal", she said.[117]
In February 2023, during theRusso–Ukrainian War, Spanberger signed a letter advocating that President Biden give UkraineF-16 fighter jets.[118]
In June 2025, Spanberger supported theU.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear sites.[119]
Spanberger has called for a new version of theFederal Assault Weapons Ban that expired in 2004. She favors requiringbackground checks on private gun sales and supported a ban onbump stocks.[93] Before she served in Congress, Spanberger volunteered withMoms Demand Action, a gun-control advocacy group.[4]
Spanberger supports theAffordable Care Act (Obamacare).[93] She supports apublic option for healthcare via the proposed Medicare-X Choice Act.[48] In November 2020, she called reducing the cost of prescription drugs "the top priority of families in my district".[110]
In January 2020, Spanberger sponsored the Public Disclosure of Drug Discounts Act, which passed the House unanimously. The bill requirespharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), who manage prescription drug benefits for health insurance companies, to publicize the rebates, discounts, and price concessions they negotiate, via a website hosted by theU.S. secretary of health and human services. Spanberger also co-sponsored theElijah Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act, which grants Medicare Part D the power to negotiate prescription prices directly with drug companies.[120]
Spanberger objected to President Trump'stravel bans from certain predominantly Muslim countries and argued that they would aid jihadist propaganda by allowing a portrayal of the U.S. as an anti-Muslim country. She has voiced her support for stronger border security measures but opposesTrump's proposed wall.[93] Spanberger voted for a bill that included funding for border infrastructure, technology at ports of entry, and more customs and border protection officers and agents. She said she does not support "sanctuary cities" but also called the term "a campaign slogan a lot of people get caught up in". She added that it "degrades the value of the conversation if we're not actually talking about what the real concern is."[117] Spanberger called for a pathway to legal status for illegal immigrants who abide by the laws, work, and pay taxes.[93]
Spanberger voted to allowU.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to be notified when undocumented immigrants attempt to purchase firearms.[48]
Spanberger supportssame-sex marriage, saying in 2025, "All Virginians deserve the freedom to marry and for their families to be welcomed in our Commonwealth without the shadow of an outdated and unconstitutional ban on marriage equality lingering in Virginia's Constitution."[121]
In 2019, she voted in favor of theEquality Act, which has not yet become law.[122][123]
In 2022, she voted in favor of theRespect for Marriage Act.[124]
When Spanberger ran for governor in 2025, she was endorsed by theHuman Rights Campaign, an LGBTQ advocacy group.[125]
Spanberger married Adam Spanberger in April 2006. Adam is a University of Virginia-trained engineer, and her high school sweetheart. They have three daughters together.[4] In 2014, the family moved toHenrico County. Before Spanberger became governor, they lived inGlen Allen, Virginia.[126][127] Spanberger is aProtestant.[128]
During her time in Congress, Spanberger roomed with colleagueMikie Sherrill, who waselected governor of New Jersey on the same day Spanberger was elected governor of Virginia.[4]
Spanberger helped run aGirl Scouts troop for her daughters when they were young.[4]
| Primary election | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |||
| Democratic | Abigail Spanberger | 33,210 | 72.68 | |||
| Democratic | Daniel Ward | 12,483 | 27.32 | |||
| Total votes | 45,693 | 100.00 | ||||
| General election | ||||||
| Democratic | Abigail Spanberger | 176,079 | 50.34 | |||
| Republican | Dave Brat (incumbent) | 169,295 | 48.40 | |||
| Libertarian | Joe Walton | 4,216 | 1.21 | |||
| Write-in | 213 | 0.06 | ||||
| Total votes | 349,803 | 100.00 | ||||
| Democraticgain fromRepublican | ||||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Abigail Spanberger (incumbent) | 230,893 | 50.82 | |
| Republican | Nick Freitas | 222,623 | 49.00 | |
| Write-in | 823 | 0.18 | ||
| Total votes | 454,339 | 100.00 | ||
| Democratichold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Abigail Spanberger (incumbent) | 143,357 | 52.21 | |
| Republican | Yesli Vega | 130,586 | 47.56 | |
| Write-in | 647 | 0.24 | ||
| Total votes | 274,590 | 100.00 | ||
| Democratichold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Abigail Spanberger | 1,976,857 | 57.58 | |||
| Republican | Winsome Earle-Sears | 1,449,586 | 42.22 | |||
| Write-in | 6,897 | 0.20 | ||||
| Total votes | 3,433,340 | 100.00 | ||||
| Democraticgain fromRepublican | ||||||
Representative Abigail Spanberger, Democrat of Virginia, a former C.I.A. officer, called his response the type of action'undertaken by authoritarian regimes throughout the world.'
"As a former CIA officer, I know this playbook," Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.) said in a tweet. Before her election to Congress last year, she worked at the agency on issues including terrorism and nuclear proliferation.
Rep. Abigail Spanberger accuses trump of betraying "the very foundation of the rule of law he purports" to support.
On Day One as Governor, I directed multiple state agencies to help increase export opportunities across the Commonwealth as Virginia businesses continue to feel the impacts of the federal administration's tariff policies. International trade has always been a key driver of Virginia's economic growth.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromVirginia's 7th congressional district 2019–2025 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Democratic nominee forGovernor of Virginia 2025 | Most recent |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Governor of Virginia 2026–present | Incumbent |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded byasVice President | Order of precedence of the United States Within Virginia | Succeeded by Mayor of city in which event is held |
| Succeeded by OtherwiseMike Johnson asSpeaker of the House | ||
| Preceded byasGovernor of New Hampshire | Order of precedence of the United States Outside Virginia | Succeeded byasGovernor of New York |
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